I remember visiting Monmouth University’s campus for the first time back in 2020 like it was yesterday. After touring the campus, I knew I wanted to come here as I loved everything about the area and what the school had to offer. Little did I know that in a blink of an eye I would already be at the finish line, getting ready to officially graduate. When people say “college goes back fast”, I think that is truly an understatement.
Moving onto campus back in the Fall of 2021, I did not know what to expect like many others. I had no idea what clubs or activities I wanted to get involved in on campus. I took some time to strictly focus on academics and getting adept to my new life in college before being involved in anything on campus.
As a Communications major, I knew what “The Outlook” was and heard about in my classes as a freshman, but I never thought I would eventually become an editor by the time senior year rolled around.
Before getting involved with “The Outlook,” I joined Kappa Sigma, where I served as a Recruitment Chair for multiple years and made many friends that I will keep in touch with after graduation.
I also was a part of a sports radio show here at Monmouth for a few years on WMCX radio, which I highly recommend doing for any people that love sports. Not every school gives free access to professional experience like going on air for the radio station or being able to be published in “The Outlook” weekly.
It was not until the beginning of my junior year, the Fall of 2023, that I decided to join “The Outlook.” At the time I was trying to bulk up my resume and get more experiences, but also had a high interest in writing. I was self aware that a subject like Math was not my strength, but instead writing, so I figured “The Outlook” was the place to be for me.
I ended up being correct, as in my junior year I enjoyed writing many stories for the Sports and Opinion sections. I started off as a contributing writer, but jumped up to a staff writer pretty quickly, as I wrote for the paper weekly, sometimes doing multiple stories a week. The amount of time I spent writing for the paper during my junior year ended up being recognized, earning me the role as Opinion Editor for my senior year (2024-2025).
As an editor, my role was different for the paper, but I still made sure to write many more Sports, Opinion, and Entertainment stories.
This past year as an editor was a great learning experience, but also fun. I gained more professional experience, which I am grateful for, and I was very lucky to be partnered with a great team of editors that I looked forward to working with every week.
“The Outlook” is a great place to start to gain real world experience. I am proud to say that upon graduation I have 35 stories published professionally that I wrote within the span of 4 semesters.
I will always remember my time here at “The Outlook” as a positive stepping stone in helping me further my professional career and am excited to see what the future holds for the paper. Thank you Monmouth University for everything!
